A True Story

I recently had to complete some online training. I put it off as long as I could and now it had to be done. There were 4 modules and a test after each. Things were moving along pretty well; I was making progress. Then, I started module 3. OMG! Noooo! It was all text. Not a picture in sight. Not a “try this” button to click on. I groaned. Yes, out loud. I advanced to the next slide. I groaned again. I felt like a kid in grade school who didn’t want to do their homework. Mom, do I have to?

So, what gives? Why was I able to make my way through the first two modules without too much whining, only to feel like I had hit a brick wall when I got to #3? I’ll tell you why…no interactivity. The first 2 modules asked me questions and gave me the opportunity to test myself as I went along. I was also presented with some matching and I had to move some items around the screen to answer questions. All of which held my interest and kept me engaged. Module 3 on the other hand was long, text heavy, hard to pay attention to and easy to become distracted from.

While it may not always possible to create interactive training modules, I have been to the other side and back and am here to say: please try. Here are some tools that can help: